Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Martin Frk was the leading scorer for HC Karlovy Vary iin the Czech U20 Extraliga and skated for the Czech Republic in the 2010 U18 World Junior Championship. Frk scored 28 goals with 30 assists and had a league-leading 186 penalty minutes in 41 games. He scored 2 goals with 3 assists in five playoff contests. Frk shared the team lead in points for the sixth-place Czechs at the U18 WJC with 2 goals and 5 assists and was plus-one with 6 penalty minutes in six games. He played eight games with HC Karlovy Vary U18 and scored 9 goals with 4 assists and had 41 penalty minutes. Frk was selected in the first round (24th overall) of the 2010 KHL Draft by Ygra Khanty-Mansiysk. The Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) selected him in the first round (3rd overall) of the CHL Import Draft.

2010-11: Frk was the second-leading scorer for Halifax in his first season in North America and played for the Czech Republic in the 2011 U20 and U18 World Junior Championship tournaments. Frk scored 22 goals with 28 assists and was minus-14 with 75 penalty minutes in 62 games with the Mooseheads. Halifax reached the QMJHL playoffs despite winning just 20 games. In the four-game first round series against Montreal, Frk had 2 assists and was minus-seven with 8 penalty minutes. At the U20 WJC, Frk led all players in the tournament with 31 penalty minutes and was the seventh-place Czech team’s second-leading scorer with 3 goals and 3 assists; finishing minus-two in six games. Frk and Dmitrij Jaskin were the leading scorers for the Czechs at the U18 WJC with five points each. Frk scored 1 goal with 4 assists and was minus-two with 2 penalty minutes as the Czechs finished eighth.

2011-12: Frk suffered a concussion in the pre-season that kept him out until December but he had a strong second half as the Mooseheads were one of the QMJHL’s big turnaround stories. He scored 16 goals with 13 assists and was minus-nine with 41 penalty minutes in 34 games. Halifax finished second to powerhouse Saint John’s in the Maritimes Division and advanced to the playoff semifinals. In 17 playoff games Frk scored 5 goals with 6 assists and was an even plus/minus with 26 penalty minutes. Frk was invited to the NHL Draft Combine and ranked 20th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Detroit in the second round (49th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft.

2012-13: Frk signed a three-year entry-level contract with Detroit in July 2012. He attended camp with the Red Wings before being returned to the QMJHL. He skated for the Memorial Cup champion Halifax Mooseheads and played for the Czech Republic in the 2013 World Junior Championship. Frk was the second-leading scorer for Halifax in his third season, scoring 35 goals with 49 assists in 56 regular season games, and was +31 with 84 penalty minutes. The Mooseheads had the QMJHL’s best record and defeated Baie-Comeau in the league finals. Frk scored 13 goals with 20 assist in 17 playoff games and was +13 with 32 penalty minutes. Frk was fourth among all scorers at the Memorial Cup, finishing with 5 goals and 4 assists in four games. The Mooseheads defeated WHL champion Portland in the championship game.

2013-14: Frk struggled to see consistent ice time with Detroit AHL affiliate Grand Rapids in his first pro season — spending time with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleyes. He scored 3 goals with 9 assists and was -12 with 22 penalty minutes in 50 regular season games for the Griffins. Grand Rapids finished second in the Midwest Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. Frk played in four of 10 playoff games and was -4 with no points and no penalties. Frk scored 5 goals with 8 assists and was -11 with 10 penalty minutes in 15 games for Toledo, which missed the ECHL playoffs after finishing last in the North Division.

2014-15: Frk has shuttled between Grand Rapids and the ECHL’s Toledo Walleyes in his second pro season. Struggling to score consistently at the AHL level, he was third in goals for Toledo despite appearing in just 29 games before being re-called by the Griffins late in the year. He scored 23 goals with 15 assists and was +12 with 16 penalty minutes skating for the Walleye. Toledo was one of the league’s big turnaround stories — going from last place to first in the North Division.

Talent Analysis

Frk was one of the QMJHL's leading scorers during his junior days playing on a dominant team that had players like Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon but he has not had the same success in pro hockey. He has a quality shot and plays with an edge, but the rest of his game needs work. His skating, while not a huge issue at the ECHL level, has prevented him from competing more successfully at times in AHL play. Frk has improved at carrying the puck and using his teammates but still requires polish and development. As his mobility on the ice improves so will his overall play.

Future

Frk has split the 2014-15 season between the AHL and ECHL level. A consistent scorer playing in the ECHL for Toledo, he has not had the same offensive production with Grand Rapids and has been a defensive liability at times. The offensive skill that makes him an intriguing prospect is still present, but Frk's poor skating has held him back in the AHL. With players like Anthony Mantha and Teemu Pulkkinen in the Red Wings' system and seemingly closer to filling scoring roles, Frk faces long odds in reaching the NHL level in Detroit. Long-term he could one day blossom into a consistent scorer at the minor pro level or in Europe but faces long odds in playing that role in the NHL and his defensive game is not suited to playing a lower line role.

Share this story

Photo: Detroit prospect Landon Ferraro showed a nose for the net during the NHL playoffs despite being held scoreless (courtesy of Steven King/Icon Sportswire)

Hockey’s Future hands out these awards every season to players who stood out during the course of the season. Several Detroit Red Wings prospects had banner seasons throughout junior, the NCAA and the AHL; others, meanwhile, earned opportunities in Detroit, such as rookie goaltender Petr Mrazek, Teemu Pulkkinen and a group of up-and-coming defensemen.

While no Wings prospects made it to the NCAA Frozen Four, a strong group of prospects had good showings in the CHL playoffs: players like Joe Hicketts, Dominic Turgeon and Tyler Bertuzzi.

Share this story

Boasting one of the deepest, if not the most talented, group of prospects in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings are set up for sustained success. Despite the recent prospect graduations of Riley Sheahan, Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Jurco, the Wings pipeline still features the AHL’s leading scorer, one of college hockey’s most explosive players, as well as an abundance of defensive depth.

Share this story

Photo: Riley Sheahan’s two-way play has earned him a spot in Detroit’s bottom-six forwards for the 2014-15 season (courtesy of Scott Grau/Icon Sportswire)

It has been a gradual change, but the draft picks that have been laying in wait for the Detroit Red Wings have started to make their impact on the team’s NHL roster. As some graduate to the NHL others have filled their spots in the AHL, leaving Detroit’s system very top-heavy with prospects playing professionally.

Share this story

The Detroit Red Wings saw the youth movement that had slowly taking place for years start to take hold at the NHL level in 2013-14. That aforementioned youth movement has resulted in more prospects at the professional level with NHL caliber skills than the Red Wings have had in recent memory.

Share this story

Photo: Anthony Mantha scored 120 points in 2013-14, his final QMJHL season. He was selected in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

The Fall 2014 edition of the Detroit Red Wings Top 20 contains a few new names, but offensive dynamo Anthony Mantha and unorthodox but effective goaltender Petr Mrazek retain their spots atop the list. Additionally, four players make their first ever appearance in the Top 20.